A Different Delivery : After Power Surge, Northridge Reloads

NORTHRIDGE —  Leave it to Mike Batesole to create an atmosphere of optimism amid circumstances most would interpret as setbacks.

Cal State Northridge didn’t lead the nation in victories last year dwelling on the program’s handicaps. Batesole has not changed his outlook in his second season. He can put a positive spin on just about anything.

Problem: Northridge is forced to play as an independent after being bumped from the Western Athletic Conference and spurned by the Big West Conference.

The spin: Batesole, 32, views independence as an opportunity, one that begins Friday with the season opener against Cal Baptist. The Matadors play their first nine games at home, including contests against nationally ranked Cal State Fullerton and UCLA.

“It frees us to schedule games the way we want to,” he said. “There aren’t 30 league games slapped on us.”

Problem: Northridge lost Dan Cowgill and Chris Stevens, assistant coaches who contributed so much to the Matadors finishing 52-18 and winning the WAC championship last season.

The spin: Batesole believes newly hired Tim Montez, formerly at UC Santa Barbara, and Grant Hohman, the team’s first baseman last season, offer a fresh approach and unquestioned expertise.

“Tim is an exceptional worker who has already made dramatic improvements with our pitching staff and in recruiting,” Batesole said. “Grant puts in endless hours, and although he is a guy of few words, when he speaks everyone tunes in.”

Problem: Five players who combined for 83 home runs and 327 runs batted in completed their eligibility or turned professional, leaving a void in the lineup behind All-American leadoff hitter and shortstop Adam Kennedy.

The spin: Northridge will build around pitching and defense while infusing a more aggressive running game rather than waiting for the now-departed All-American sluggers Robert Fick and Eric Gillespie to go deep.

“We’ll have a different approach, but I’m excited about it,” Batesole said.

Left-handers Erasmo Ramirez (14-1, 3.74 earned-run average last season), Benny Flores (7-2, 3.75) and Nathan Rice (6-2, 3.02) anchor a staff that boasts experience and potential in equal amounts.

Ramirez, a junior, is a preseason All-American who will alternate key starts with Flores, also a junior.

Right-handers Jason Cole (3-0, 4.10) and Gary Stephenson (4-3, 4.27) performed well under pressure last season and will be counted on in both starting and relief roles. Jesse Yeomans, a senior right-hander who was ineffective last season, is much improved, Batesole said.

Among the newcomers, left-handers Brian Downing (Oxnard College, Thousand Oaks High) and Bryant Fick (Wyoming, Ventura College, Newbury Park High) are expected to be valuable set-up relievers.

Northridge has five left-handers on its staff, and no one loves that more than catchers Bryan Wagner and Casey Cheshier, who gain an edge holding runners close.

Wagner, a transfer from Sacramento City College, is the strongest defensively. Cheshier, who batted .247 with seven homers last year as a freshman, will play first when not catching.

“All of us have to step up offensively,” Cheshier said. “We lost some great hitters.”

Ramon Ricabal, a sophomore transfer from L.A. City College, and Matt Pitstick and Adrian Mendoza, freshmen from Royal High, will have opportunities at first base when Cheshier catches.

Besides Kennedy, a junior who last year led the nation with 121 hits while batting .393, with 94 runs, 17 homers, 81 RBIs and 15 stolen bases, the most proven hitter is senior Jose Miranda.

Miranda, who might be converted from right field to third base, batted .341 and led the team with a .495 on-base percentage. However, he hit only three home runs.

“I feel a lot stronger,” he said. “I definitely have to drive in Adam and protect Adam.”

Improvement is also expected from senior second baseman Cesar Martinez, who batted .250 with five homers and made 16 errors. Martinez is being pushed by Clark Parker, a senior transfer from UC Santa Barbara who is a strong offensive player but suspect defensively.

“Something I’ve recognized is that JC transfers tend to get a lot better their second year here,” Batesole said. “That should be true with Jose and Cesar.”

Parker, a switch-hitter, will get time as designated hitter along with right-handed hitting junior Jeremy Conrad, who is still recovering from off-season surgery on his throwing arm. Conrad batted .268 last season.

Mike McNeely, a junior transfer from L.A. City College, is versatile enough to play second base, third base or shortstop in a reserve role.

Another newcomer who could make a difference--if he’s eligible--is third baseman Chris MacMillin, a power-hitting junior transfer from Pasadena City College. He has petitioned the NCAA about an academic problem but has not received a ruling.

The outfield appears strong defensively. Ryan Hurd, a sophomore who batted .244 with nine homers and seven stolen bases, is assured of a spot.

Andy Wilson, a senior transfer from Arkansas and former Thousand Oaks High player, did not make an error last season and is a base-stealing threat. Terrmel Sledge, a redshirt freshman from Kennedy High, has been impressive during the fall and winter, batting over .400 in intrasquad games.

Sledge is among nine freshmen on the Northridge roster, a trend Batesole planned when he received a three-year contract after last season.

“The good side is that they are really talented,” the coach said. “When this group is juniors, it will be pretty exciting.”

For now, they mostly cause excitement by making rookie mistakes.

“We’ve really had to go back to square one on a lot of things,” Batesole said. “Early on we may struggle because these guys are so far behind on the basics.”

Once the growing pains are behind them, look for big things from the freshmen. Besides Sledge, Pitstick, Mendoza and right-handed pitcher Derek Morse, who is academically ineligible, they include catchers Jason Gause from Temecula Valley and Jeremy Sickles from Long Beach Millikan; third baseman John Wilson from L.A. Baptist; and outfielders Dan Pierce from Jurupa Valley and Barry Mathews from Crespi.

The youth movement has not distracted from the Matadors’ primary goal: to qualify for a regional as they did last season, and advance to the College World Series, which they did not after losing to Florida State in the West Regional final.

The Matadors will play in tournaments at Cal State Sacramento, Nevada Las Vegas, Fresno State and Hawaii to help prepare for regional play. The regular season ends with two games against USC and one against UCLA. By then, Northridge should be a seasoned unit.

“The guys who have been through this want to make sure this season is just as special as last year,” Kennedy said.